Apparatus and method for imprinting hard-rubber articles



A. C. BROSE.

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR IMPRINTING HARD RUBBER ARTICLES.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 16, 1921. 1,410,782

Patented Mar. 28, 1922.

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' ADOL PH. C, BROSE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 28, 1922;;

Application filed February 16; 1921. Serial No. 445,279.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, AnoLrH C. Bnosn a citizen of the United States', and a resident of the city of New York, borough of the Bronx, county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus and Methods for Ian'- printing Hard-Rubber Articles, of which the following is a description.

The present invention relates to the method of marking; or impressing artr- 'cles formed of hard rubbe'r'or the like: and having attractively finished surfaces. The general object of the invention is to provide a method of marking identifying characters, such as trade marks, names and the like on' the surfaces of such articles as fountain pens combs,.etc., formed ofhard rubber and after the articles have been finished and the surfaces thereof rendered" attractive in the usual manner as polishing or by coating the same with suitable material.

To this end the invention resides in softening thearea or section of the surface to be marked by exposing the same to the action of heat andthen impressingor indenting this softened area with a cold metallic marking'die which operates to transfer the desigii thereof to the softened area and at the same time absorbs from the" outlining edges of the indentations forming the charactersz the heat already applied thereto; so that'the outlines of the characters are formed clear and well defined and the characters themselves rendered readily distinguishable', and, if sodesired, conditioned for coating otbontrzisting coloring material such as gold leaf which" may be applied simultaneously with the forming of the character's. v I v@therobjects will appear and be better understood from an embodiment of the in vention of whichthe" following is a specification": 7

it work holder and marlring die" together with a holder for" carrying out the' present method of marking hard rubber articles and the like are illnstratedin'thedrawings for ing part of the/specification and in which Figure I is a perspective showing the relative positions of the parts of the workholder and marking die in operative relation together with the heating plate" which is shown by dotted lines;

' Figure 2 is atransverse" section" through the work-holder also showing the marking die in end elevation and arranged so as to engage the work.

The bed plate 5 or otherpart of a suitable press is adapted to provide the lower section of a work-holder. For this purpose the said bed plate may be provided with a suitable groove or recess or otherwise formed so as to engage the work. For'purposes of illustration a concave groove or recess 6 is shown as beingformed in the bed plate 5 and disposed to co-operate with a similar shaped groove 8 in the upper section 7 of. the work-holder, which section 7,

is adapted to be superimposed on the lower section 5 so that the grooves 6 and 8 co-operate to recelve the work 9, which is herein shown as a finished hard rubber barrel or reservoir of a fountain pen. An opening 10 in the upper section 8 of the work-holder is in alignment with a marking die 11 which, for'purposes of illustration, I have shown as consisting: of a number of bars of ordinary printing type which are secured in any preferred manner to the movable element 12 of a press which maybe constructed and arranged so as to reciprocate vertically or move in any other desired mannerethe arrangement being such that upon move ment of the element 12 in one direction the type of the marking die 11' moves into con tact with an area ofthe surface of the work 9' by passing through the openings 10 in the sectionfS of the work-holder.

Thesurface' of the work 9 is finished oi: rendered glossy either by polishing or by a coating of shellac or the like. In indenting or impressing articles of hard rubber such as the specimen illiistrated it is necessary co-soften the article by the application thereto of heat. But if the barrel 9 were heated throughout and to an extent to render the same siniicicntly soft as to be readily impressed by the marking die. the heat would necessarily soften the surl'ace coating and render the same fluid so that the utility of the coating would be destroyed. It is, therefore, important in the use of the present invention to contine the heat to the area or section of the surface to be impressedan'd with the present method this confinement or control of the heat is made possible through the use of a heater constructed so as to co-operate with the work-holder; For purposes of illustration 1 have shown the heater as consisting of a plate 13 formed of clay carbon having a handle 14: constructed so as to support the plate 13 in afire which may be a bunsen flame. lVhen the temperature of the plate is raised to the required degree the plate is superimposed on the upper section 7 of the work-holder and over the opening 10 thereof. This step exposes the area of the.

surface of the barrel directly underneath the opening 10 to the action of the heat from plate 13, which operatesto soften the said area so that when the plate 13 is withdrawn and the movable element 12 lowered the marking die 11 operates to impress the softened area of the barrel upon moving into contact therewith. It will be noted that the marking die is a cold die as distinguished from a die heated by suitable appliances. This provision of a cold die is of importance in that when the same moves into contact with the softened area of the work the heat is readily absorbed or taken up by the die. Thus the material of the surface of. the work. entering the interstices of the die is quickly cooled during the compression of the surrounding material in con tact, with the ,relief portions of the die. This results in imparting a sharp outline to the characters impressed in the work by the die. 7 a

The method of this invention readily lends itself to impressing colored characters in the work. -VVhen gilt characters for instance, are to be formed,-the area to be impressed is coated with the usual sizing liquid consisting of gelatin or the like after which a coating of gold leaf enamel ink or its equivalent is applied over the sizing coat. The work is then arranged between the sections 5 and 7 of the work-holder and the heater having been heated to the required extent is then placed over the opening 10 of the upper section 8 of the workholder and when the area exposed through the opening 10 is rendered sutficiently soft by the action of heat the heater is removed after which the die 11 is lowered into contacii with said exposed area. Only a relatively small amount of pressure on the part of the marking die .11 required to effect the indentation ot' the softened, area of the barrel and the duration. of. this pressure need be for only a few seconds after which the movable elementis removed from the work-holder whereupon the work may be taken from the work-holder and. from the press.

The present invention has considerable utility in connection with instances where manufacturers of combs, fountain pens. etc, 7

formed of hard rubber, celluloid or the like, deliver these articles in finished conditiomthat is to. say, with glossy surfaces, to distributors who desired that the articles be marketed witlra trade mark name or the like. In such cases the present invention enables the distributor to apply the re quiredmarking without injury to the finished surface so that the expense which "would otherwise be incurred by refinishing the surfaces of the articles after marking the same in accordance with old methods, is eliminated.

Although I have shown and described an ideal form of the invention it is to be understood that I am not to be limited to the details of procedure set forth it being obvious that the equivalent of this and changes within the scope claimed, may be made use of without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

I claim: M

1. The method of marking the finished surfaces of hard rubber articles and the like, which consists in softening the area of the surface to be marked by exposing the same to the action of heat and impressing tdie said area with a cold metallic marking C16. V

2. The method of marking the finished surface of hard rubber articles and the like, which consists in confining the application of heat to the area of the surfaces to be marked until the said area has been rendered soft, and then impressing the said 'sloftened area with a cold metallic marking C18.

3. The method of marking the finished surfaces of hard rubber articles and the like, which consists in embracing the surface of the article to be marked by a perforated work-holder, directing heat to the area of said surface immediately surrounded by. the perforation of the work-holder until the said area has been rendered soft and impressing the said softened area by passing a cold nietallic marking die through the perforation of the work-holder and into contact with the said softened area.

. Yet. The method of marking the finished surfaces offhard rubber articles and the like, which consists; in coating the area of surface to be marked first withan adhesive and then with coloring matter, arranging the article in a perforated embracing workholder so that the coated area aligns with the perforation of thework-holder directing 7 heat to the coated area through the perforation of the'work-holder untilthe said area has been rendered'soft and thenpassing a marking die through the. perforation ofthe work-holder and into'contact with the coated area, i. I

5.111: apparatus for marking the surfaces of hardrubber articles and thelike, a workholdermade up of separable sections having c -operating engaging structures for receiving the work to be marked and surrounding the same one .ofsaid sections having an opening through which a section of the surface of the Work engaged thereby is exposed, means for heating the said exposed section of the-work through the said opening, and a marking die movable through the said opening and into contact with the said exposed section of work.

- 6. In apparatus for marking the surfaces of hard rubber articles and the like, a workholder made up of separable superimposed sections adapted for receiving between them the work to be marked and further adapted for engaging the Work during the marking thereo one of said sections having an opening disposed so as to expose there-through the Work engaged by the said section, means for directing heat through the opening of the said section and into contact with the Work anda marking die for engaging the Work and movable through said opening.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention, I have signed my name.

ADOLPH C. BROSE. 

